Sealing means for hydraulic valve tappet construction and the like



July 2 2, 1941. E. L. DAYTON SEALING MEANS FOR HYDRAULIC VALVE TAPPET CONSTRUCTION AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 20, 1938 FIG.7.

I INVENTOR ERNEST L DAYTON B Y WWW ATTORNEYS r te ted Jul 22, 1941 '1 UNITED? ST ES PATENT OFFICE SEALING ms son .mmnsnuo vanvs rmsr cons-rauc'rron mm m v Ernest r. Daytom netroit, men.

sppuc uon omm zo, 1938,8erlal as. 235,951

' (a soc-s4) .This invention relates to sealing means of the type associated with relatively slidable parts to. restrict the escape of fluid between the engaging surfaces of the parts, and refers more particularly to a seal applicable to hydraulic valve tappet constructions to prevent the escape of fluid past the piston.

One of the principal objects of the present invention consists in the provision of sealing means rendering it possible to effect a fluid-tight seal between relatively slidable telescopically engagfig perature resulting from repeated operation of the tappet.

Still another objector this invention consists in providing the ductile sealing member with a relatively hard protection element effective to resist spreading of the ductile member and the 1 consequent binding of the'ductile ring upon relative movement of the parts.

A still further feature of the present invention consists in the provision of a valve tappet assemmy having a ductile metal ring at the upper end parts without the neo ty of fashioning the'sl of the partsto extremely.

- annular flange having a cylindrical surface slidably engaging the adjacent surface of one of the parts and having a lip at the free edge normally r'yieldably urged ,into frictional engagement with the surfaceof the part aforesaid.

Still another feature of the present'invention consists in the provision of a sealof the character set forthin the preceding paragraph where-- in the lip of the ductile flange is yieldably urged into frictional engagem nt with the adjacent surface throughout the circumference of the lip to insure the provision of a fluid-tight seal between the lip and said surface.

A further object of the present invention consists in the provision ofa sealjassembled in a hydraulic valve tappet to move as a unit with thepiston and in a manner that any foreign matter in the fluid is embedded in the ductile lip of the seal. As a result, the foreign matter is prevented from lodging in thecle'arance provided between the piston and cylinder where it would have a tendency to score the adjacent surfaces of the latter members.

A further advantageous feature of this invention consists in the provision of a seal for use in a fluid operated valve tappet construction which permits the limited escape of fluid past the piston required to allow a contraction of the tappet necessary to compensate for the expansion of the valve mechanism dueto heat rise in ternof the piston frictionally engageable with the inner wall of the cylinder and effective to colfeature of this invention lect any foreign particles in the fluid tending to escape past piston.

In addition tothe foregoing for preventing relative rotative movement of the piston and cylinder. not only prevents scoring eitherthe piston or cylinder by any foreign p rticles that may become lodged between the latter, but also prevents 1 elongation beyond desired limits, as well as simplifles shipment and assembly.

The foregoing, as well as other obiects,,will be made more apparent as.this description proceeds,

'especiallywhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:-

Figure l is a vertical sectional viewsthrough a hydraulic tappet equipped with a sealing means forming the subject matter of this invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 V of Figure 6.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the protecting ring for the sealing ring;

Figure 4 is a perspective ring;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the spring provided in combination with the sealing .ring to urge the lip of the latter outwardly into engagement withthe cylinder walls;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view through a slightly modified form of construction;

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the plane seal in a hydraulic valve tappet assembly .and,

accordingly, I- have selected the latter assembly the present invention contemplates novel means This feature is advantageous in that it view of the sealing indicated by the line 1-4 cylinder it! is a piston pressure on the annular the reduced portion i2 for the purpose of iliustratin'g this invention.

' The advantages of a hydraulic valve tappet have been known to the trade for a long period-of time, and the principal reason why this type of tappet has not received greater commercial success has been due to the exceedingly high cost of manufacture of this type of tappet. The high cost of manufacture of hydraulic tappets is due primarily to the necessity of machining the piston and cylinder to extremely close limits in order to provide therestriction to the leakage of the fluid. medium required for successful operation;

The present invention renders it possible to obtappet having substantially the same principle of operation as the one defined in my Patent No. 2,158,222, dated May 16, 1939. Briefly described, the hydraulic valve tappet illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a cylinder it! closed at its lower end for engagement with a suitable cam (not shown) and open at its upper end. Slidably mountechin the H having a reduced portion id at the lower end forming a chamber is in the bottom ofwthe cylinder and having a recess It open at its upper end to receive the fluid medium. It will also be observed from Figure 1 that a rod i5 extends into the recess it with the lower end abutting the bottom wall 85 of the recess and with the upper end, either directly or indirectly connected to one ofthe valves (not shown) of the engine.

Located within thechamberld is a coil spring ll surrounding the reduced portion I2 of the piston with the lower end engaging the bottom wall of the cylinder and with the upperend exerting a shoulder l8 formed by of the piston. By virtue of this construction, it will be noted that the spring I! normally urges the piston Ii upwardly to maintain the wall id of the recess it into engagement with the lower end of the rod i5 and to take up any slack between the engine valve (not shown) and the piston. The lengths of the rod l5 and the piston ii are such that the piston is always supported above the bottom of the cylinder it, either by hydaulic medium in the chamber I 3, or by the spring H, or by both the hydraulic medium'and spring.

The chamber i3 is supplied with the hydraulic by a passage l9 I2 of the piston and enlarged at its lower end to receive a ball type check valve 26. The valve 20 is normally held in its closed position wherein communica tion between the passage and chamber i3 is prevented by means of a dual spring device 2! described in detail in my above identified copending application. It will suffice to point out that the dual spring 2| opposes opening movement of the valve. with varying degrees of resistance and thereby insures efficient operation at different speedsof the operating cam (not shown).

With the construction as thus far described, it will be noted that any upward movement of the piston H with respect to the cylinder Hi is accompanied by a flow of the fluid medium from the recess H in the piston through the. passage [9 whenever it is necessary toabsorb any lost motion between the operating cam (not shown) and the engine valve (not shown). The hydraulic medium flowing through the passage it into the chamber i3 is prevented from returning to the recess It by the check valve 2!] and, consequently. the resulting elongation of the tappet effected by upward movement of the piston 83 in the cylinder is maintained, with the result that the essential in order to permit the tappet to contract in proportion to the expansion of the tappet by the heat generated so as to avoid holding the engine valve (not shown) oil its seat.-

"Although any tendency for lost motion to exist in the operative connection between the cam (not shown) and the engine valve (not shown) by the escape of an excess amount of fluid from the chamber i3 is immediately taken up by upward movement of the'piston" it under the action of the spring l'i, nevertheless, it is essential to definitely. restrict the escape of'fiuid from the chamber it in order to insure satisfactory operation of the tappet. In accordance with the present invention, the escape of fluid from the chamber 43 is definitely restricted to within the limits consistent with satisfactory operation without the necessity of providing an extremely accurate fit between the piston ii and the side walls of the cylinder. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, the quantity of fluid escaping from the chamber It is controlled by a seal 22 located between the upper endof the spring i1 and the shoulder is on the piston ii. In detail, the seal 22 comprises an inverted cup-shaped ring 23 formed of a' ductile metal and provided with an axially extending depending flange 2d having a cylindrical exterior surface frictionally engageable with the'cylinder walls. The interior surface of the flange 25 is tapered ductile sealing ring 23. The upper surface of ably urged into frictional engagement with the to the chamber 13. This action takes place 7 of spring fingers lip sufllcient to urge the outer lip into frictional engagement the ring 2'! engages the annular shoulder i8 and the central opening of the hub 28 is, of course.

of sufficient diameter to freely receive the reduced portion l2 of the piston.

The lip 25 of the ductile sealing ring is yield-' cylinder wall by means of an inverted cup-shaped spring member 29 located in the sealing ring 2lwith the base 39 in abutting engagement with the undersuriace of the base portion of the sealing ring 23. The depending flange or the cupshaped spring is fashionedito provide a plurality 3i having the bottom or free edges engageable lip 25 on-the ductile sealing ring 23 in such a manner as to exert an outward pressure on the surface of the with the cylinder wall. In other-words, the diameter of the lower edge of the cup-shaped spring exceeds the internal diameter of the lip 25 on the ductile sealwith the inner surface of the ring, with the result that the spring 29 is .portance in under tension when assembled in the cup-shaped ,sealing ring 23. Attention is also calledto the fact at this time that the spring fingers have a substantially continuous circumferential engagement with .the lip and that the action of these fingers is such as to apply a substantially uniform pressure on the lip to effect a continuous engagement of the outer surface of the lip with the cylinder throughout the circumference of the lip. Inasmuch as the spring pressure is concentrated on the lip at the free edge of the latter, this edge will have an effective wiping action on the cylinder walls during movement of the piston. Also, it will be noted that the combination of the particular spring shown and the soft metal employed-in the sealing ring provides an arrangement where the lip will reade ily conformto the cylinder walls and compensate for any-out of roundness that may exist in the cylinder wall or any variation in. the diameter of the latter. I

a The spring 29, sealing ring 23, and protecting ring 21 are maintained in the position thereof shown in Figure 1 against the. shoulder IS on the piston II by means of the spring II. The upper end of the spring I! abuts the base 30 of the cup-shaped spring 29 so that, in eflect, the base 30 forms a protecting member for the relatively high ductile sealing ring 23. With the depth of the sealing ring located in the position described, the same is, of course, subjected to the working pressures and, for this reason, care is taken in selecting the alloy from which the sealing ring is formed. Particularly satisfactory results have been obtained by a sealing ring formed of an alloy of tin base bearing metal. In any event, the sealing ring should have a malleable rating sufliciently high to prevent creeping under the working pressure and should preferably have a ductile rating suflicient to allow expansion under a pressure so light as to offer no appreciable resistance to relative sliding movement between the piston and cylinder. In addition, the alloy from which theductile ring is fashioned is so selected that the ring has no definite elastic limit, with the result that it will not return to any set shape, once it is urged into snug engagement with the cylinder walls.

It will be understood from the above that a highly effective seal is provided at the lip 25 of the ring 23 preventing escape of fluid from the chamber I3 past the lip to the clearance existing between the piston and cylinder. However, for reasons hereinbefore given, it is essential to per-' mit a limited escape of fluid from the chamber l3 past the piston Ii in order to providefor the contraction-oi the tappet necessary to compensate for elongation caused by heat. This is accomplished, in the present instance, by providing restricted recesses 33 in the. top surface 'of the ring 21. These recesses extend from the central opening through the ring 21 to the periphery of the latter and are of a size to insure by-passing a sufllcient quantity of fluid from the chamber. l3 around the seal 22 to compensatefor anyelongation of the parts of the tappet.

The location of the ductile metal sealing ring 23 in the assembly is of importance-in that any foreign matter existing in the oil and adhering to the side wall of the cylinder below the lip become s embedded inthe ductile metal. As* a esult, this foreign matter is prevented from scratching or scoring the adjacent slidably .engaging surfaces, and this isof particular imneath the piston and this seal is identical to the seal 22, previ-,

" 20' is fashioned that I have provided an annular deformable the present instance where it is essential to maintain a tight seal. For the same purpose a relatively soft metal ring 33 is embedded ln a groove 31 at the piston in a position cylinder wall. This metal ringwill also serve to arrest or collect any metal filings or foreign tension in the upper end of the piston recess a M and having a lateral projection 33 at one end extending through aligned openings 40 formed in the adjacent side wall of the recess l4 and cylinder it. The aligned openings 40 are of sufflcient diameter to permit the elongation of the L tappet necessary for all operative conditions without interference by the projection 39. Attentio'n is called to the fact that the pin 33 will hold the several parts of the tappet in assembled relation during shipping and installation which is' highly advantageous from the standpoint of ease in assembling the tappet in the engine. Also, the pin 33 restricts elongationof'the tappet in the event the engine valve should stick during operation of the engine and thereby prevent serious damage to the engine parts.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated inFigure 6, I have shown a tappet construction differing principally from the one previously described in that a hydraulic fluid medium is supplied to the chamber l3 under pressure. As shown, a fluid pressure supply line 45 communicates with a reserve chamber 46 and the latter, in turn, communicates with the chamber l3 beii through the medium of a 41 controlled by a check valve 43. In the pressure of the fluid in the place of the spring I! in to elongate the passage this construction, chamber l3 takes the moving the piston ll upwardly tappet;

A seal 22' is also provided in this construction ousiy discussed, with the exception that it is secured to the bottom of the piston. As shown in Figure 6, the base 30' of the cup-shaped spring to provide a plurality of spring fingers 43 which cooperate with a screw 50 threadedinto the lower end of a piston to secure the seal in position. with the above exceptions, the function of the tappet is identical to the flrst described form of the invention.

Thus, from the foregoing, it will be observed a relatively simple inexpensive seal capable of being readily assembled and effective to provide a fluid-tight seal between relatively slidable telescopically engageable parts. It will also be noted from the foregoing that I have provided a seal particularly applicable to hydraulic valve tappets in that it renders it possible to reduce the cost of manufacture of the tappets and vide highly eillcient operation.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A seal for the clearance between a piston and a cylinder, comprising a cup-shaped metallicmember movable with the piston and having lip of an alloy of tin base bearing metal slidably en aging the cylinder wall, and means yieldably urging the lip throughupper end of the to frictionally engage the the piston and cylat the same time proable engagement with the cylinder wall.

out its circumference into ment with the cylinder wall.

2. A seal for the clearance between a piston and a cylinder, comprising a cup-shaped metal sealing member movable with the piston and having an annular lip at the free edge engagewith the cylinder wall,-the flange of said sealing member being formed of ductile metal sufllciently scft that any internal force in the continuous engageq flange tending to counteract expansion of the lip into engagement with the cylinder walls is reduced to a minimum, and a cup-shaped spring metal element fitted within the cup-shaped sealing member under tension with the free edge portion engageable with the inner side of the lip to urge the outer side thereof into friction 3. A seal for the clearance between a piston and a cylinder, comprising a sealing member.

movable with the extending flange continuation of the flange being formed direction.

4. A seal for the clearance between a piston and a cylinder, comprising a cup-shaped metal sealing member movable with the piston and having an annular lip at the free edge engageable with the cylinder wall, the flange of said sealing member being formed of ductile-metal sufficiently soft that any internal force in the, flange tending to counteract expansion of the lip into engagement with the cylinder walls is reduced to a minimum, and a cup-shaped spring metal element fitted within the cup-shaped sealing member and having an annularflange composed of a plurality of closely spaced spring metal fingers engageable with the inner side of the lip to urge the outer side thereof into frictional contact with the cylinder.

5. A seal for the clearance between a piston and a cylinder, comprising a cup-shaped memher having an annular lip of such soft metal as to permit expanding the same into engagement with the cylinder wall under relatively light pressinres, and a cup-shaped spring metal member located in the cup-shaped sealing member andlnaving a plurality of spring metal.

tongues engageable with the lip of the cupshaped sealing member to provide a substantially continuous backing cylinder wall.

for said lip and effective to urge the lip into wipingjengagement with the 6. A seal for the clearance between a piston and a cylinder, comprising a cup-shaped member having an annular lip of such soft metal as to permit expanding with the cylinder wall under relatively light force counteracting expansion of the lip into engagement with the cylinder wall is reduced to a minimum,vmeans applying a pressure on the lip to urge the same into wiping engagement with the cylinder wall, and spring means for clamping the cup-shaped member to the piston.

7. A seal for the clearance between a piston d a cylinder, comprising a ring of ductile metal located between the piston and surface of the other of said members and possessing suflicient ductility to retain any the ring.

8. A seal for the clearance between a piston and a cylinder, comprising a pair of rings of ductile metal carried by the piston at axially v and slidably engageable with the adjacent surface of the cylinder, possessing suflicient ductility to readily conform to-said surface and to collect any foreign matter attempting toescape past the piston in either foreign matter tending to escape past 9. A seal for the clearance between a piston and a cylinder, comprising a ring movable with the piston and having an annular axially extending lip of a ductile metal alloy composed predominantly of tin base bearing metal and frictionally engageable with the cylinder wall working face .of the piston.

and a cylinder, comprising a cup-shaped metal member carried by the piston and provided with ERNEST L. DAYTON. 

